After Knocking Off #4 South Carolina, UConn Women Prepare for Stretch Run

In a battle of women’s basketball titans, UConn prevailed in a minor surprise, but what followed was totally unexpected. #6 Connecticut obliterated #4 South Carolina 87-58 in a runaway win on the Gamecocks home court, Colonial Life Arena. This ended South Carolina’s 71-game home winning streak, which dated back to a Dec. 3, 2020, game against North Carolina State.

This win also meant that the Huskies snapped their four-game losing streak to the Gamecocks and their three-game skid against top-10 ranked teams. UConn’s record now stands at 24-3, while South Carolina left the game with a 23-3 record.

UConn Gets Momentum Going Early

After a slow start, UConn put their game in second gear. In the last four minutes of the quarter, the Huskies went on a 12-3 tear led by Ashlynn Shade coming off the bench to score six points, including a three-pointer, as the quarter was closing, putting UConn up seven points.

South Carolina ran into early problems when forward Sania Feagin exited the game with an eye injury. Then, to make matters worse, MiLaysia Fulwiley headed to the bench with her second foul at the 3:37 mark of the first quarter.

Huskies Build on Lead

The Huskies pushed the lead to 15 on an Azzi Fudd three-pointer. Then, South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards would hit a free throw as part of a three-point play to end UConn’s 22-3 run. The Gamecocks fought back, going on a 7-0 run to cut Huskie’s lead to 10. However, Kaitlyn Chen led UConn on a 12-2 run, boosting their lead to 20 points.

UConn finally ran to the halftime locker room with a dominating 43-23 lead. Turnovers were a big part of the Gamecock’s slide, as they committed five in the last five minutes of the quarter. They also shot poorly in the first half, hitting only 37% from the field and 22% from beyond the arc.

Geno’s Crew Extends the Lead

Huskies coach Geno Auriemma had his team fired up and ready to start the second half. UConn started the half on a 7-2 run, capped by another Fudd three-pointer. This extended their lead to 52-25 with 7:44 remaining in the quarter. It constituted the largest deficit of the season for South Carolina. And Fudd continued to lead the way as she nailed another three-pointer, which lifted her quarter total to 18 points. The Huskies led at the end of three quarters, 70-44. The Gamecocks could only cut the deficit by three in the final quarter, and UConn left the court with their most impressive win of the season.

After the game, Auriemma singled out his team’s rebounding effort as the key to beating the Gamecocks 48-29 on the boards.

“There’s a team mentality that you have to have, and the rebounding stats are always about effort. That, more than anything else was evident today, that we played to win.”

And about the loss, South Carolina’s coach, Dawn Staley, said this.

“I mean, a loss like this is about toughness. A loss like this isn’t about anything besides getting our players to just keep the main thing the main thing,” she continued. “Obviously, when you lose like this, there’s something else going on that isn’t just about basketball. So we gotta figure that out and get back on it.”

Postgame Recap

Fudd led all scorers with 28 points on 11-22 shooting. Huskies forward Sarah Strong added 16 points and was strong on the boards with 13 rebounds. Edwards paced South Carolina with 17 points on 7-10 shooting. She also added five rebounds and two blocked shots. Also, guard Paige Bueckers added her name to the UConn history books. Off of her 12-point, 10 assist, and seven rebound game, she surpassed Rebecca Lobo at No. 11 on the Huskies’ all-time scoring list. And she joined Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi as the only three players in school history to record at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 career assists.

The win marked a turnaround after UConn’s close losses earlier in the season to Notre Dame and USC. The Huskies also solidified its standing as a national contender, showing the rebounding dominance they need to go far in the dance. They must maintain this momentum as they inch closer to the NCAA Tournament.